World-Class Athletes Debut The M Foundation

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MISSION Skincare®, the first athlete-engineered® skincare line, is proud to announce the launch of The M Foundation™, a non-profit organization committed to promoting healthy athletic performance on the field, and simultaneously recognizing charitable achievements of young athletes off the field.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100914/NY64808 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100914/NY64808 )

"We're thrilled to be leading the way in educating and inspiring the next generation of altruistic-minded athletes. With role models like Serena Williams, Mia Hamm and David Wright involved, we're showing young athletes the way to be true leaders in the world," says Ray Sozzi, Executive Director of The M Foundation. "This ground-breaking foundation is poised to make a difference in the lives of young athletes across the U.S. and around the world."

With the introduction of The M Foundation, MISSION Skincare is encouraging athletic prowess in a dynamic way that raises the bar for socially conscious companies everywhere. The beneficiary of MISSION Skincare's "blended value" enterprise, The M Foundation ignites the social impact objective of the brand forged by some of the world's greatest athletes such as Serena Williams, Steve Nash, David Wright, Billie Jean King, Mia Hamm, Amanda Beard, Sergio Garcia, Georges St-Pierre, Gretchen Bleiler and Alonzo Mourning. At the core of The M Foundation are athletes "on a mission" to educate and inspire America's youth to perform their best within and outside the arena of athletic competition.

"It's an honor to be part of this groundbreaking cause," stated Billie Jean King. "We are excited to inspire the next generation of athlete role models and The M Foundation is set up to do just that."

MISSION Skincare is committing $1 million of initial funding to The M Foundation to help meet its two main objectives: to educate young athletes about healthy athletic performance and to inspire young athletes to perform off the field of play with their charitable work. On an ongoing basis, the company will be contributing 10% of its operating profits to help fund the foundation and, for their launch, the co-founders behind MISSION Skincare have agreed to donate 100% of the profits from all product sales at MISSIONskincare.com for the next 60 days to The M Foundation.

M Foundation Research & Awareness Initiative

On the research and awareness front, The M Foundation will fund specific athlete-focused surveys, studies and research to better understand current health risks affecting young athletes, and identify potential solutions to address and minimize those risks in the future. The M Foundation research programs will be overseen by world-renowned Sports Dermatologist, Brian B. Adams, MD, MPH, and will cover a wide variety of studies ranging from propensity of melanoma in outdoor athletes to staph and related infections due to locker-room and hygiene habits. "I'm very proud to be a part of The M Foundation and help lead the charge in research, development and solutions for the health of today's young athletes," says Dr. Adams. "I've conducted and published countless studies on the health risks associated with collegiate athletes, and I'm excited to leverage those experiences and findings to both study and support the younger generations of athletes in high school and middle school." Once complete, The M Foundation will share its findings with the media and young athletes and increase awareness of these critical issues. More information on the foundation's first research study can be found on The M Foundation website (www.theMfoundation.org).

The M Awards™ – Student-Athlete Recognition

The M Foundation will also identify and award young athletes who embody the same core values of the MISSION Athletes by taking an active role in supporting their community. The first M Awards program is focused on varsity-level high school athletes. Recognition M Awards will be presented once a week throughout the academic year, and every month, one of the four M Award recipients will be granted an M Award Scholarship for college. At the end of the year, one award winner will be selected to receive a $10,000 college scholarship and will also have a $10,000 donation made in their name to the local charity of their choice. From coaches to parents and friends, anyone can nominate a student-athlete for the M Awards.

Athletes and their advocates will be able to submit applications for M Awards on The M Foundation website (www.theMfoundation.org), and they can also apply through www.beRecruited.com, the country's No. 1 online networking destination for high school student-athletes seeking recruitment from college coaches and universities. Once chosen (selected by an advisory board including MISSION's co-founding athletes), the student-athlete will be featured on The M Awards website (www.theMawards.org), as well as the beRecruited website.

About MISSION Skincare®

In 2008, MISSION Skincare® was launched as a "blended value" enterprise, fusing insights from some of the most celebrated athletes in the world with insights from leading skincare scientists and dermatologists to create the world's first and only line of Athlete-Engineered® skincare products.  They came together to develop a line of sophisticated formulations designed to protect, strengthen and hydrate skin, helping anyone with an active lifestyle to prepare, perform and recover from any type of exercise.

MISSION Skincare is available at select sports specialty and health & beauty retailers including

Dick's Sporting Goods, Lady Foot Locker, Sport Chalet, GNC and CVS/pharmacy, as well as at

www.MISSIONskincare.com.

SOURCE MISSION Skincare(R)